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Monday, October 27, 2008

The Best of the Philly Region on Cask at Iron Hill

As everyone talks about sour beer/funky beer being "the next big thing" or "the next frontier" for beer trends, I'd counter and say that cask beer really hasn't seen its heyday yet...at least here in the U.S. The East Coast has been doing casks every way 'til next Sunday for quite a few years now. The West Coast has caught on recently and places in between are discovering the real, the natural flavors of beer delivered through a cask system. Frankly, I'd like to see "newer" beer lovers discover the wonders of cask-conditioned beer before the off-the-wall flavors of native Belgian or Belgian-influenced funkhouse beers.
Many of the mega beer festival (e.g. Philly, NY, SF Beer Weeks) feature cask events. Iron Hill in Newark, Delaware continues its annual real ale celebration in November. Details are forthcoming on their website; in the meantime, here's a sneak preview. Event: 7th Annual Brewer’s Reserve Cask Event, featuring Black and Tan Beers (Dark Beers and Pale Ales).
Date: Saturday, November 15th
Time: Noon until 10 PM
Place: Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant, Newark, DE
What: Our annual Real Ale celebration showcases casks from the Philadelphia regions’ breweries, all in one place. This year’s Black and Tan theme will feature a dark beer or pale ale offerings from local brewers. Drink them straight or blend them and black and tans, it's up to you. All of the local breweries have been invited to participate. There will be at least 15 casks available throughout the day. Breweries include 7 Iron Hill locations, and up to 14 local breweries. Current participants include; Stewart’s, Nodding Head, Yards, Earth Bread + Brewery, Victory, General Lafayette, Sly Fox. Come out and enjoy an afternoon of pints or tasters of these great local beers.